53 pages • 1 hour read
Linda UrbanA Crooked Kind of Perfect
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Making the Most of Imperfection
Zoe is 10 years old when the story begins, and she has naïve ideas about what perfection is and how it is achieved. She also holds perfection in high regard, believing it to be of the utmost importance. When Zoe imagines herself as a pianist playing at Carnegie Hall, the vision is filled with grandiosity and glamor. She imagines tiaras, hundreds of admirers, and a sophisticated Maestro who calls her his own. Zoe asks her parents for a piano, but because of her dad’s tendency to make impulsive purchases, she ends up with an organ instead. It is less than perfect, particularly for her, but she has to learn to accept and love it anyway, much like her own parents. Zoe’s life usually doesn’t give her the results that she wants, and she has learned to do without most of the things she hopes to do. The piano, however, is not something she is willing to give up, and she uses the organ to get to her actual goal. Zoe starts taking lessons, initially on a paper keyboard, which proves not to help her at all. When she starts taking lessons on the organ, she instantly expects to be called a prodigy by her teacher; instead, “[she] see[s] Mabelline Person scribbling away with her purple pen. She is not writing prodigy” (24). Zoe doesn’t yet realize that she has to practice and commit if she wants to sound like her hero, Vladimir Horowitz.
She also doesn’t yet realize that perfection is not the only ingredient needed to be a good musician. Zoe plays and learns the organ, even though she doesn’t really want to, and although she feels like giving up at one point, she persists. Zoe starts to receive positive feedback from Mabelline, making her “think about how it felt to have my fingers gliding over those keys, how Miss Person looked when I finished playing. It felt good. Really good (61). She hears a boy on the radio talk about practicing four hours a day and starts to do the same. Eventually, Zoe is playing her song without any mistakes, and she is pleased with how her effort is paying off. Through performing and playing through her mistakes, Zoe remembers that “Horowitz was not about perfection. He was about joy and art and music and life. And those things have mistakes in them” (137). Zoe’s song of choice, “Forever in Blue Jeans,” is highly appropriate because it’s a song about being happy to be surrounded by loved ones and not needing anything more. The organ becomes this for Zoe because it brings her closer to her father, introduces her to Wheeler, and helps her bond with her mother, all while helping Zoe learn that heart is more important than perfection. Zoe accepts that the things and people in her life are not perfect but are instead “a crooked kind of perfect” (117).
Navigating Challenging Family Dynamics
Zoe’s family life comes with unique challenges that create limitations in her life and lead to frustration and feelings of being unseen. Zoe’s mother is a financial controller and works long hours to support her family, so she is rarely home. When she is home, she’s often tired and goes straight to bed. Zoe doesn’t have many opportunities to connect with her mother, aside from when they listen to classical music together. Both Zoe and her mother love classical music, and music in this way serves as a bridge between them where there otherwise may not be one. Zoe often wonders if her mother cares more about work than her, and she isn’t overly surprised when her mother misses her birthday or can’t drive her to the competition as planned. Zoe’s mother does show up for her in the end, and Zoe is grateful that she has that chance to connect with her mother and show her what she has accomplished. She can sense her mother’s pride in her, and it is as though learning to play an instrument has loosened some of the tension between them.
Zoe’s father experiences serious anxiety and stress when it comes to dealing with strangers or going out in public. He is a warm, affectionate, and ever-present father, but this major limitation puts strain on his relationship with Zoe at times. For example, it affects her ability to participate in activities that her peers do, like scouts or hanging out with friends. Zoe’s father spends most of his time taking Living Room University classes at home, but he never uses the skills he learns, which Zoe finds disappointing and wasteful. Zoe’s father is also an impulsive spender and is responsible for bringing home an organ when he was sent out to buy a piano. Zoe quietly accepts her father’s shortcomings and how they affect her, rarely complaining or showing her frustration.
Zoe is close with her father despite his flaws, and they often learn together or play music together. Zoe’s dad is both a source of tension and someone who eases it, particularly when Zoe worries about being a perfect organ player and her dad reminds her to just have fun. Zoe finally voices her frustrations to her father when he doesn’t seem overly concerned about missing the competition, and she tells him, “What good is working hard and learning to play the stupid Perfectone D-60 if nobody ever hears me?” (121). She doesn’t want to be like her father in the sense that she wants the world to see her and she wants to be a part of it. While she loves her dad, she can’t imagine being trapped in that way forever and has grand dreams of becoming a star pianist. Zoe’s dad holds her back from this dream, but she accepts him anyway. Wheeler becomes an unlikely hero who helps Zoe’s dad find the courage to step back out into the world, and both of Zoe’s parents are there to love and support her in the end.
Friendship as a Pillar for Personal Growth
Friendship is a source of personal growth in Zoe’s life, often in unexpected ways. Zoe’s friendship with Emma ends, and another with Wheeler begins. She then learns along the way about what true friendship is as opposed to friends who are shallow or who do not really care. Zoe has been best friends with Emma for three years, but they never hang out outside of school, largely because Zoe is limited by the fact that her dad rarely leaves home and her mother is always working. Zoe walks into school one day to find that a new friend has replaced her, and she is told she can still hang out with Emma, essentially out of pity. Zoe feels out of place around the other girls and tries to fit in, but she always seems to miss the mark. She doesn’t dress or act like them, and Emma doesn’t understand why Zoe would buy her a pair of toe socks as a birthday present. Zoe also battles jealousy with Emma because Emma has the “perfect life” that Zoe wishes she had—Emma even gets a grand piano. As Zoe starts to hang out with Wheeler, Emma’s true nature becomes clear, and Zoe loses interest in spending time with her.
Wheeler turns out to be an unexpected but much better friend to Zoe and her family, although he initially comes across as intense and is largely uninvited. Zoe likes Wheeler but doesn’t know him very well at first, so she’s surprised when he starts coming over to her house. Wheeler likes Zoe’s music, and he also likes Zoe’s dad, who teaches Wheeler how to bake. The more time that Wheeler spends with Zoe’s family, the more calm and joyful the household becomes. By the time the story concludes, Wheeler is more like a part of the family than just a friend. Zoe starts to wonder if she might have a crush on Wheeler, but it’s still too soon to tell. Instead, she is happy just having him as a friend: “Wheeler is a boy. And he is my friend. And I think he’s cute in a messy kind of way. But he’s not my boyfriend” (182). This helps assert that genuine friendship is what Zoe needed to feel better about herself and her life, not romance. She’s also forced to reassess her opinion as others, as she is resistant to Wheeler’s constant presence until she learns of his own dysfunctional home life.
Mona closes this theme about friendship encouraging personal growth. While Zoe has spent a considerable amount of time in the book considering her circumstances disappointing or less than perfect, Mona presents a version of Zoe’s life that appears pleasant and admirable. Mona is at the organ competition with her parent and playing passionately, enough so that she wins first place. She isn’t nervous or embarrassed about her circumstances, and this inspires confidence in Zoe, who often felt insignificant until then. Mona’s advice on performing ultimately helps Zoe make it through the competition, showing how unyielding, friendly support helps her develop.
